5 Reasons Why Last Week’s Supreme Court Decision Means The End of Democracy As We Know It

Mainstream media’s coverage of last week’s Supreme Court decision regarding the influence of corporate America in political elections has been both thin and shallow… which is almost as frightening as the decision itself. Matador weighs in on this dangerous decision.

In case you missed it–which is entirely possible, given that mainstream media made a quick mention of it and moved on to the next big thing–the US Supreme Court handed down an alarming ruling in a critical case last week concerning the role of corporate America’s influence in American politics.

In brief, the justices ruled in a 5-4 decision that the US government can neither prohibit nor control corporations’ political spending in elections. In a rather astonishing leap of (il)logic, the majority decision stated that spending is a form of speech, and as such, spending can’t be controlled by the government because imposing controls would be a violation of the First Amendment.

Well, money does talk, but as Justice John Stephens expressed in his 90-page dissenting opinion, corporate speech (made possible by deep pockets) and the speech of individual Americans aren’t exactly equivalent.

With this in mind, we argue there are at least five reasons why last week’s Supreme Court decision means the end of democracy as we know it:

1. Because it’s an alarming precedent for illogical judicial analysis.

The judicial branch of federal government plays a crucial role in Americans’ lives.

And corporate interests have long shaped our foreign policy, from Latin America to the Middle East.

Do we really need more of their meddling? Do they really need any more power?

3. and emboldens them even more.

If you thought the arrogance of corporate America had reached unsurpassable heights (see AIG and big banks’ bonus fiascos), then just wait. Corporate America just got a big blank check, signed by the Supreme Court.

4. Because it further exposes the hypocrisy of American “democracy” to the rest of the world.

As we continue our world tour for democracy, claiming that we’re going to liberate “oppressed” countries from their self-interested “dictators,” we might want to take a minute to reformulate our elevator speech, because the jig is up: the self-interested party is corporate America.

5. Because it means that the little guy just got even smaller.

It used to be that anyone who met the requirements of office could aspire to public service through politics. Exhibit A? Jimmy Carter.

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